Illinois Sweet Illinios
by centaurdy jackson007
Summary: The Hardy's have a new case, but not all goes according to plan when one of them goes missing. Nancy just happens to be close by and they combine forces. But solving this case may be making things worse. Will this be the first case they have to forfeit? Or will they be able to stop this criminal before one of them dies?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! I haven't done a fanfic for the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew before, so I hope I do okay. Review! I do not the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. All other characters I made up and are mine.**

**I know the title stinks, but anyways. **

**Summary: **The Hardy's have a new case, but not all goes according to plan when one of them goes missing. Nancy just happens to be close by and they combine forces. But solving this case may be making things worse. Will this be the first case they have to forfeit? Or will they be able to stop this criminal before one of them dies?

**Illinois Sweet Illinois**

Chapter 1: Frank

My impulsive 16-year-old brother, Joe, a year younger than me, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and I bounded up the stairs. We had just finished cleaning up the table and doing the dishes. My mother was finishing the other chores she had to do before going to bed. We were both going to ask our father about any new cases or mysteries. Finally, we made it to his office. We knocked and he let us in. Just then his phone rang, and, shooting us an apologetic look, he picked it up. I watched his face go from annoyance, to worry, to surprise, then to confusion, and then go slack, tiredness coming across his face.

"Yes, John, I'll come as soon as I can….. No, not right now, I'm busy and I have to get ready… I know, I know… Probably tomorrow night, or the morning after that at most…. No, sorry….. Yes, you will…. No problem, John…. Ok, bye." he closed his phone and sighed.

"If you boys are here for what I think you're here for, you must have the magic charm, because we've got another case," my father said. He smiled at us.

"Yes!" Joe cried, pumping his fist and jumping up. I couldn't help but smile. Sweet! Another case. This was going to be awesome. It was two weeks after school had let out, but we hadn't had a mystery for a whole month. It had driven both my brother and I mad. Who knows, we might even get to hang out with Nancy, I thought to myself.

Only a few minutes before, Nancy had called, which was another reason we came to our father. Nancy had called to tell us that she, her father, Bess, and George were going to Illinois as their first trip this summer. They were staying at a hotel in Spring Bay, and she wanted to know if we wanted to come. She said her father could convince her friend to give them one more room for us. I really wanted to go; to see Nancy and the fact that we would probably find a mystery to solve.

"Where are we going?" I asked anxiously.

"Illinois," my father replied. Slowly, a grin spreading across my face and my eyes going wide, I turned toward my younger brother. He looked so excited, he could have spontaneously combusted right then and there.

"Sweeeeet!" my brother shouted. He punched me in the arm, probably just to get some of the excitement out before he did something dumb.

"A mystery _and_ we get to hang out with the girls! That's something you call luck," he said. My father frowned.

"What?" he asked confused. I quickly relayed Nancy's phone call to my father.

"Oh," my father said. "I hate to break it to you though, we'll be at least two hours from there, and no, we are not going to stay there," he added, anticipating the question he knew would have been coming. Joe's jaw dropped, eyes nearly coming out of their sockets, stopping mid-celebration-dance. My shoulders slumped slightly.

"Sorry, boys, but maybe Nancy can find a place closer to us," he said, probably feeling a little guilty at dampening our spirits. I shrugged.

"Well, if she finds out we've got a mystery on our hands, she'll probably convince her father to let her come with us, and even if she doesn't, we can see her afterwards, and you can tease her all you want, Joe," I said, smiling. My brother smiled, straightened up.

"You're right, Frank. I can rub it in her face," he snorted. I rolled my eyes. My father smiled and offered us a seat. He then proceeded to tell us about our new case.

"I have an old friend, John Dipson, who now lives in Iroquois, Illinois, with his wife and he owns a café called the Iroquois Café. Recently, he has had some problems; stale foods, food poisoning, broken appliances, money being withdrawn from his bank account and some. He claims he's being sabotaged and decided to ask for my help. I told him we'd leave as soon as possible. I will have to tell your mother though, and I cannot promise she will let you boys go."

"Don't worry dad, eventually she'll let us," Joe said. "Even if it means making her life a mess until she does." Joe winked, my father sighed, and I shook my head.

"Well, knowing no one can stop you, you boys should probably get to bed, get some sleep and we can talk more about this tomorrow," my father said, standing up and stretching his legs. My brother and I nodded, anxious to start our new case. We both brushed our teeth, got in our pajamas, and went to sleep.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz z

My alarm started ringing at 7:00 a.m. I sat up almost immediately. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, yawning and turned my alarm off. I put together an outfit of jeans and a T-shirt and took a shower.

Ten minutes later, I walked out of the shower, feeling refreshed after yesterday and clean. I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and walked into Joe's room. His clock read 7:27 a.m. He was tangled in his sheets, one of his arms dangling off the bed, the other holding a pillow over his head. I decided to let him sleep for 20 more minutes, and then I would come up and get him.

I went downstairs and got pulled over by my mom to help fold laundry. She also made me put the dishes away. By then, it was time to go get Joe up. Time goes by fast, but I smiled to myself; this is going to be fun.

I went upstairs, over to his window, and opened the blinds, letting the light shine through. I looked over at Joe. He groaned and shifted so his face was facing away from the light. Sighing, I walked over to him, but as if anticipating my move, Joe tightly clutched the sheets to his chest. Still, I tried to yank the covers from his grasp. Geez, this kid was strong in his sleep! Time to try another tactic.

I snatched the pillow from him and leaned into his ear, whispering, "Get up or I'll get ice cubes." That woke him up fast. He sat up and tried to stand up, but still being tangled in the sheets, he tripped. His eyes widened as he started falling. He barely got his hands underneath him in time. I started cracking up.

"Boys! What is all that ruckus up there?" Aunt Trudy shouted from downstairs.

"Nothing!" I shouted back. My brother glared at me, which made him look really evil because his hair was a mess and he had circles under his eyes. I smiled at him, ceasing the last of my laughter. He fumbled to undo himself from his sheets, and then punched me in the arm.

"What's up?! It's only 7:45!" Joe exclaimed angrily, glancing at his clock.

"Do you want to start this new case as soon as possible?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. The anger dissipated from his eyes, and hesitantly he nodded.

"So do I. The sooner we wake up, the earlier we pack, and the sooner we leave." My brother sighed.

"Okay, I'll meet you downstairs, just get out so I can change," Joe said.

"Ok," I left his room, encouraged by a playful shove from him, and headed downstairs. I walked into the kitchen, saw Mom and Dad sitting at the table and assumed he was telling her about our little trip to Illinois. They both looked up when I walked in.

"Uh, sorry, I'll-" I started, but my father cut me off.

"No, it's okay, Frank. I just told your mother about our trip. She said it was okay if you two went," he said.

"Really?" I asked, smiling. "Thanks, Mom." I hurried over and hugged her. She hugged me back.

"No problem, honey. Just be careful, watch out for your brother, and listen to your father," she warned.

"I will," I promised. I went over to the cabinets and grabbed a bowl and a spoon from the drawer beneath it. As I was getting the milk for my cereal, Joe came down the stairs. He was wearing a black T-shirt advertising his favorite band, jeans, and sneakers. His hair was brushed, but not very thoroughly. We both ate our breakfasts and went upstairs to pack.

After an hour, we both came into our father's office. He looked up when we entered.

"We're all packed," Joe said. The excitement was evident in his voice. My father smiled.

"Good, because I already talked to Jack," my father said. Jack Wayne was the pilot of our private plane. He was also a really good friend of our father's and would fly half way around the world at 3 in the morning if it were to save us.

"He'll be ready by noon. You boys can put your bags in the car if you want. We can leave in…," he glanced at his watch, and then continued, "an hour and a half." We both nodded and headed over to my room.

"This is awesome! Even though, now that I think about it, we haven't called Nancy yet," Joe said, looking at me. My eyes widened as I realized he was right. I quickly pulled out my phone and pressed the speed dial for Nancy. I held the phone by my ear and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Nancy's voice drifted through the phone.

"Hey, Nance," I said.

"Frank! What did your dad say? Can you come?" she bombarded me with questions without taking a single breath.

"Hey. My dad said no, but," I emphasized the word when I heard her sigh. "We do have a new case that we got last night. Luckily it's in Illinois, just two hours from Spring Bay. If you want to, you can come over. It's a city called Iroquois."

"Wow, Frank. Thanks for inviting me. Let me ask. Just a sec," she said. I could hear the excitement in her voice. There was silence on the other side of the phone for so long, I began to wonder if she had hung up. Actually, I had been expecting her to call me back.

"Frank Hardy! Why would you ask Nancy to join you for a mystery?! We were supposed to be going on vacation! _Vacation_, Frank!" I heard Bess cry. I chuckled. Joe walked in.

"Sorry, Bess, she asked us to join her first, and then we got a case so close to where you guys were going, I couldn't resist," I replied. I saw Joe's eyes light up when he heard Bess's name. He snatched the phone from me.

"Hey, Bess. Nancy, George. George is there right? I don't want to be talking to nobody," he said. I could hear someone's voice on the other end, and they didn't sound happy. Joe smiled.

"Oh, hey, George. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Wait, let me put this on speaker phone," he said. He pulled it away and pressed a button, laying it down on my desk. I moved closer.

"Speaker phone, check. Ready to talk, check," my brother said cheekily.

"Okay, so we all know what's going on here, right?" I asked.

"Yes," three voices chorused.

"Good. So who's up for a mystery?" I asked cheerfully.

"Me," I heard Nancy say. Someone sighed, probably Bess.

"Well, since Nancy's dad probably won't deny her the opportunity to solve a mystery and we can't let Nancy go by herself, more or less with you guys, I'm in," Bess joked.

"Well, I don't want to be stuck here by myself and let you guys have all the fun, so me too," George said happily.

"Good. We're leaving today and will probably be there around 6-ish, I guess," I said.

"We could leave today too, but we probably won't see you guys until tomorrow," Nancy said.

"That's fine. Just call when you get there."

"Okay. Will do. I think we should go now since I need to tell my dad and probably pack a little differently."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Sorry the notice is a bit late in the game."

"It's okay, but we should go now. Bye, Frank, Joe. See you later," Nancy said.

"Bye," George and Bess said, slightly out of synch.

"Bye," Joe and I replied. I hung up. I high-fived Joe. This was going to be awesome.

We went through the day, both of us working on high levels of adrenaline. Before we knew it, we were on the road in the car, then leaving the car and lugging our bags toward Jack Wayne's plane.

"Hello Fenton. Frank, Joe," Jack greeted us with a smile.

"Hello, Jack. Thanks for flying us," my father said.

"No problem. Anything for you, my friend," he replied, leading us to the plane. We climbed aboard and put our luggage in the luggage compartment. Soon, we were taking off, and soaring into the air. I glanced at my brother. He was watching everything flash by, his eyes darting from side to side trying to take it all in. After a while, he leaning back, smiling. I joined him in smiling, looking out the window at the light blue sky and angel white clouds.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took us four hours and twenty-five minutes to get to our destination. Joe had slept for an hour and a half, but I wasn't tired at all. My ears popped five times during the descent. It took a while, but finally, we landed. I stood and stretched my arms and legs. My brother and father did the same. We each grabbed our own bag, and then headed toward the exit. When my feet touched the ground, I smiled. I wasn't a huge fan of flying, but I wasn't afraid of heights or planes.

"Ah, ground sweet ground," my brother commented. I rolled my eyes.

"What? Aren't you happy to be able to stretch instead of being in a cramped space? If not, you can go back in," my brother mock huffed. I smiled.

"No thanks. I'm plenty happy the way I am now," I shot back. Jack came around the front of the plane, smiling.

"You guys enjoy the ride?" he asked.

"Yep. Just a bit cramped," Joe said, stretching his arms to emphasize it. Dad and I shot him a look. He blushed and put his arms down immediately.

"Geez, I was just kidding," I heard him mumble under his breath. Jack laughed.

"It's okay, Fenton. I agree that it gets cramped in there. I was actually thinking of getting a bigger plane sometime," he said.

"Yeah, well, it could be more cramped," my father said, glancing at Joe.

"Really, Fenton. It's okay. Him saying it's cramped is not as messed up as _me_ saying it's cramped." He laughed good naturedly.

My father smiled and gave in saying, "True."

We said our good byes and then Jack went to the store to get some more gas. Dad hailed a taxi. The driver got out and put our luggage in the trunk while my dad climbed in the front, and Joe and I climbed in the back. The driver got back in and Dad gave the man the address and we took off. Twenty minutes later, my dad paid the taxi driver and we stopped in front of our hotel. We checked in, and then dumped our suitcases by the beds. Lucky for us, we each got our own bed. Joe offered to take the couch, so my dad and I got the beds.

"I'm going to get us something to eat," my father said. "Watch each other's backs and stay safe."

"Don't worry dad, we'll be fine," I said with a smile.

"Plus, no criminal or burglar are just going to randomly pop in, bop one of us and take the other," Joe said, rolling his eyes. Our father stood facing us for a while, and then he turned and left. Joe turned and flopped down on the couch, turning the TV on and flipping through the channels.

"None of these channels are good," Joe complained.

"You've only checked out five," I retorted, sitting next to him. The next channel he flipped to was wrestling. He smiled. I sighed. We watched it for a while, and then he turned it up really loud. The sounds of fists hitting face/bones and grunts of pain blasted through the room. I snatched the remote from him and turned it down. But not before the door opened. Neither of us heard it, but out of my peripheral vision, I saw a figure, but I thought it was my dad.

Joe looked at me to say something, then his eyes widened and he leapt off the couch.

"Frank!" he cried. I whirled around, but not fast enough. I turned around just in time to see something come smashing into my face. I saw dark brown, and then blackness, as it folded in all around me. The last thing I saw was Joe angrily leaping at someone I couldn't see before blackness wholly engulfed me.

_How'd I do? Eh, eh? Please R&R!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey! I own all characters other than Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. And thank you to all those who reviewed last chapter! Thanks a million**

**Illinois Sweet Illinois**

Chapter 2: Joe

Frank and I were having a good time. Until I turned to tell him to turn the volume back up and I saw someone dressed all in black standing behind him, the flower vase in a baseball bat position and the flowers lying on the table. Now, anyone would be able to tell if he was a robber or criminal of some sort, even if minor, so typically I tried to warn my brother.

"Frank!" I cried. I almost leapt at the guy, but my brother turned around just in time to get whacked in the face by the guy's "baseball bat." Hard. He was out. Angrily, I leapt at the man, tackling him to the ground. No one hurts my brother and gets away without payment of some sort. I landed a few good punches, but he was twice as strong as I was and overpowered me. Now, it was his turn to get in a few punches, causing me a bloody nose and a split lip. He glared at me; I glared back. Suddenly, his lips curled into a nasty smile. That never meant anything good. I struggled beneath him, but he was able to keep me pinned with his knees and one arm. With his other, he pulled out a needle.

I tried to get my arm away from him, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled it above my head; his hands were like iron, and no matter how hard I pulled, I could barely get it away from him by an inch. He grinned wickedly as he put it into my arm and pressed down on the plunger, releasing whatever liquid was in that needle into my body.

Soon, whatever he had given me kicked in, because my muscles started to relax and seemed to no longer be under my control. He watched me struggle against the drug, but we both knew I couldn't fight it. Waiting until he was sure it was safe, he released my arm, letting it drop limply onto my chest. My eyes were getting heavy, until I couldn't keep them open no matter how hard I tried. Darkness enveloped me and I passed out.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz z

I woke up, but I couldn't move. I tried to move, but my arms wouldn't respond. With all the situations I'd been in, I assumed my hands were tied behind my back. Slowly, and with much difficulty, I managed to raise my head. I saw that I was in a room, and when I looked down at my lap, what I saw horrified me. My hands were lying there, untied, as were my legs; but I couldn't move them. I tried to force my arms up and my legs to move, but they wouldn't do anything, not even twitch. It was almost as if they were dead;_ or paralyzed_. Panic seized me and I fought to keep my breathing even. He wouldn't do that, would he? I really had no idea, because some criminals could be so cruel as to torture someone without a second thought and actually enjoy it. That made me sick.

I decided to switch my focus to the room I was in. It was medium sized from what I could see; I wasn't facing the door and I couldn't see it on the other walls in my peripheral vision so I assumed I was facing the exact opposite way. There was a window on my left at the top, and in the same place on the opposite wall. I tried to shift, but I couldn't even do that. The panic I'd known seconds ago returned. Had he totally paralyzed me? If so, was it temporary or was it permanent? I turned my attention back to the room, but the panic only subsided a little. There was a table in the corner on my left with a water glass and a lamp. I heard something behind me. I turned my head until it couldn't go any further, which wasn't very far, but was probably only because of the drug in my system.

A man walked into my vision until he was right in front of me. He was dressed in black pants, a black tee, black tennis sneakers, and a ski mask, though it didn't mask his smile. _Those things never do,_ I thought, annoyed.

"Able to move your head, eh? Not unusual, it's usually the only thing you can move for some time. I know how long it lasts though, so you'll be getting your next dose soon, don't worry," he said all this so casually, my panic was replaced with burning anger. I gritted my teeth.

"What do you want? I've never seen you and I haven't even done anything," I demanded.

"Oh, no, dear Joseph. No you haven't, and for that I'm glad. But I can't let your brother or your father either," he said. I was wondering how he knew my name, when two thugs appeared at his sides. The two thugs were dressed just like him. I gulped, suddenly very nervous.

"I need something your father will believe and to make him give this case up."

"He wouldn't give it up for anything," I snarled.

"Really? Not even his son? So I could kill you right now and he would keep on investigating without mourning you for even a second? That's cold," he chuckled evilly. I almost retorted, but I grit my teeth and held my tongue. He pulled out a camcorder and opened it up. He started fiddling with something on his collar, as did the other two.

"Ready?" he asked, his voice horribly distorted, sounding scratchy, and deeper than it really was.

"Ready," the two replied, sounding just as bad.

"Good. Gag him. The untied hands will really give this a twist," he said. Then he came over pulling a needle out of his pocket as his buddies gagged me. He plunged it into my arm, pushing the top down, sending the drug into my system again, but I couldn't struggle.

"This is a smaller dose. It won't knock you out, but it won't prevent you from moving your head; I can't risk you somehow moving, so this is to assure it," he said with a smile, stepping back. Then, a frown forming he added, "You Hardy's always somehow manage to get out. I'm not taking that risk."

I couldn't believe this. This couldn't really be happening. Panic gripped me, practically squishing my lungs and all the oxygen they contained. He pressed a button on the camcorder, as the two thugs took up positions on either side of me, facing me.

"Hello, Fenton. I'm sure by now you know I've taken your son. Now, why on earth I would tell you or show you who I am, I'm not quite sure, but here's something: I want you to stay away from John. Stay away from Illinois. Go home and you'll get to see your son again. If not, I just want you to know the consequences," he said, keeping the camcorder trained on me. I was trying to keep my breaths even. This had to look bad. Really, really bad. He nodded at the guys and one of their fists came crashing into my face, hard. I would have fallen to the floor had the other guy not held me in place. My head was pounding, and I could taste blood in my mouth. The guy that caught me held me in place (Thug 2 as I will call him) as the guy who hit me first (Thug 1 I'll call him) sent his fist into my stomach. He hit me again, taking away so much breath I barely had any left. He let me get some air, and then hit me again, and again. When he stopped, my vision was foggy and stars were dancing in front of me. My jaw hurt like hell and I was fighting for consciousness.

"Stop," Leader said.

"See, Fenton, if you continue this investigation, I will hurt your son until he dies. Now, you get the choice of whether you want your son to live and let a few harmless criminals go, or lose your youngest. Your choice," Leader concluded, closing the camcorder. I was trying to take in air, but it was hard with a gag in my mouth, and breathing hurt. He walked over, ripping the gag out of my mouth. I breathed in deeply, resulting in painful coughing from pulling in too much air when my lungs had practically been punched to deflation.

"Beautiful performance, Joseph. Just beautiful," he said, beaming down at me as if he were the proudest father in the entire world.

"How do you even know my name?" I hissed.

"Your father put me in jail, brat," he spat the last word in my direction.

"He has to suffer. Well, as to John, he deserves what he's getting," he snarled. I should've seen it coming, I thought, groaning. He smiled down at me and then they all left. I was really hurting and trying hard to stay in the chair; I was already sweating. I felt horrible. I had been kidnapped, drugged, couldn't move, and now my father saw that and probably was terribly confused and a little angry since he didn't understand.

I leaned my head back, trying to relax my neck muscles. After a while, I tried to move my hands again. Nothing. I clenched my jaws, ready to scream. Why couldn't Frank be here too? I hated to admit it, but with this situation I was in, I could really use his comfort and positive thoughts. Mine were all negative and definitely _not_ comforting. I couldn't give these guys the satisfaction of giving up this fast, though.

After hours of tortuous moments of being unable to move, I was really wondering how I would get out of this. I tried continuously to move my hands until I felt a twitch in one of my hands. A spark of hope lit inside me. I kept trying to move them until I was able to drag them across my lap. I didn't know how long I'd been at it, but I was exhausted and really hungry. I was succeeding, but it was probably taking me hours and hours; soon, I was barely able to keep my eyes open I was so tired. I could see the first rays of light coming through the window and knew that somehow, I had managed to stay up all night. Maybe I was motivated because I had been able to move a little. I couldn't stop now though, not when I was so close as to being able to drag myself out of here and land a few punches. I was even able to move my legs. Maybe I _would_ be able to get out this, I thought excitedly.

Soon, I was able to stand, though I wobbled slightly. Hesitantly, I got up and started to move around. My legs were still shaking, the after effects slowly leaving my muscles, and I almost fell a few times. After a while of that, I was able to move more confidently, and took advantage of it. I hurried over to the door despite how dizzy and exhausted I was. It was locked. I gritted my teeth and swore. Fumbling, I reached for my pocket knife which they hadn't taken because they probably assumed I wouldn't be able to get my hands on it and wasted precious time getting it through the crack between the door and wall to unlock the door. If they caught me now and drugged me, I was going to go insane. Literally. I had worked too hard to be punished like that. I used all my strength to drag it up and cut through the lock. I almost shouted in delight, but I knew that might alert them. I couldn't risk that. I was still weak, though I was gaining my strength fast. I put my ear against the door, listening and making sure no one was coming. It was clear. Smiling to myself, I pulled open the door.

And swore loudly.

No way could this be happening. I slammed the door shut, but Leader shoved it back open, smirking at me.

"Go away!" I shouted. I don't know why I acted that way or said anything at all because it wasn't like they were going to listen to me, but I wasn't going to let him drug me again. I could feel extreme hate and fear welling up inside me, but I tried to force it down. I had to fight it. I had to fight him.

"Now, why would I do that Joseph? I can't just let you walk out of here," he chided. He took a step forward. I took one backward. The two thugs appeared behind him. None of them were wearing black, and I would be able to identify them to the police easily.

Leader was bald, and had a lot muscle. He was wearing jeans and a plain white tee; he seemed to constantly be wearing a frown, and his eyes were so cruel and dark, they looked black. Thug 1 (we'll call him Black Hair) looked just as muscular as Leader, was wearing the same thing except his jeans were more faded and his T-shirt wasn't as white. He had black hair that he slicked back, and he had dark brown eyes that didn't show much emotion. Thug 2 was muscular also, and he resembled Black Hair. I wondered if they might be brothers. Thug 2/Black Hair Bro. was a bit bigger than the other two, though there was muscle, was wearing khaki's and a grey T-shirt, he had messy black hair, and blue eyes that were so evil, they shouldn't have even been blue, brown maybe, but not blue. I backed up as he continued to move forward, the two thugs staying by the door.

Too soon, he had me backed up against the wall. I lashed out at him. I hit him in the face, and it surprised him; he staggered backwards. I hit him again and again, but Black Hair Bro. came at me suddenly, ramming me into the wall.

I screamed, swore, fought, and kicked like I'd never done. Leader slowly pulled out a needle. He was glaring at me through his bloody nose, split lip, and already bruising jaw. With every passing second I fought more viciously. After what seemed like three minutes, he was standing right in front of me. The thugs were holding my arms and were blocking my legs from him. They were getting kicked and I wasn't lacking any strength, and I could tell they were getting annoyed. As he brought the needle closer to my arm, inch by inch just to torture me, I screamed and fought even harder.

"You gonna hurry? It's getting kind of hard to hold him," Black Hair grunted, his eyes burning with annoyance. Good, at least I was causing them some discomfort.

"Yes, yes, I'm going," Leader said. He put the needle into my arm, pressing down on the plunger, putting the drug back into my system. I swore at the top of my lungs, ready to scream. I had worked _soooo_ hard. Almost 24 hours! And this is what happened. I could already feel my muscles going slack, reacting to the drug. _Why? _I thought miserably.

"It's a shame, really. You worked so hard," he taunted me.

"Yeah, guess we caught him just in time, eh?" Black Hair said, smirking at me. Black Hair Bro. laughed outright and nodded.

"Right on! You won't be able to leave, now, little Hardy. We'll keep an extra eye on you from now on," Black Hair Bro. said. "Oh wait, we already were."

Leader smiled. "They're right, Hardy. We've been keeping an extra special eye on you and look where that got us; probably the first criminals to capture a Hardy after they were this close to getting free. We'd been watching your every move and now that we know you can get free, we won't take _any_ chances even though it will take away the fun," he said. He dragged me back over to the chair, forced me to sit, and yanked my arms behind my back behind the chair. I saw him pull out rope and felt him tie my hands together. Then, he bent down and tied my ankles to the legs of the chair.

I groaned, wanting to say some really bad things to him, but my jaw was getting too tired to move. Painfully slow, all my muscles relaxed. I went totally slack. I was too numb to keep my head from dropping to my chest as the blackness enveloped me and I slipped into oblivion.

_Please R&R! Tell me how I'm doing!_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey! I own all characters except Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Gracias por todos los comentarios. :) **

**Illinois Sweet Illinois**

Chapter 3: Nancy

As I changed out of my PJ's and into clothes, I started thinking about how excited I was when my dad said we were going to Illinois. I'd never been there. The first people I invited were Bess Marvin and George Fayne. Despite the fact that they are cousins, they are different in a lot of ways. Bess is all about fashion and fun, with blonde wavy hair, easy-going blue eyes, and a curvy body, while George has short, brown choppy hair, loves sports and electronics, and has brown eyes. She can also eat a lot and not gain weight, unlike Bess.

Obviously, they agreed on going. Then I thought about inviting the Hardy boys. Don't ask me why, I just felt like it. So I called.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Frank! It's me, Nancy," I said.

"Oh. Hey, Nance!" he replied cheerfully.

"Hey. I was wondering if you and Joe might want to go on a trip with me, my dad, Bess, and George to Illinois. Think you can come?"

"Um, I don't know. Let me ask, and then I'll get back to you, okay?"

"Sure thing," I said.

"Ok, bye."

"Bye." I hung up. I hoped they could come. We might even be able to find a mystery together. I suddenly felt totally out of whack. Inviting the Hardy's? Who'd have thought. It felt really weird, but the main reason I had called was to talk to Frank. I kept denying the fact that I might have some feelings for him, after all I had Ned, but I wasn't quite so sure anymore.

Almost an hour later, Frank called.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey, Nance," Frank said.

"Frank! What did your dad say? Can you come?" I bombarded him with questions.

"Hey. My dad said no, but," he emphasized the word when I sighed. "We do have a new case that we just got. Luckily it's in Illinois, just two hours from Spring Bay. If you want to, you can come over. It's a city called Iroquois."

"Wow, Frank. Thanks for inviting me. Let me ask. Just a sec," I said excitedly. George and Bess had come over just half an hour ago, and were now downstairs having lunch. I dropped the phone on my bed and raced downstairs.

"Hey, Bess, George! Come upstairs, I've got to tell you something," I said quickly. They protested but I started dragging them upstairs. On the way to my room, I told them what Frank told me.

When we got upstairs, Bess went over to the phone, put it on speaker and cried, "Frank Hardy! Why would you ask Nancy to join you for a mystery?! We were supposed to be going on vacation! Vacation, Frank!" He chuckled on the other end of the phone.

"Sorry, Bess. She asked us to join her first, and then we got a case so close to where you guys were going, I couldn't resist," he replied. Suddenly, another voice was talking to us.

"Hey, Bess. Nancy, George. George is there right? I don't want to be talking to nobody," Joe said.

"Joe!" George cried, exasperated. "Yes, of course I'm here. I'm not a nobody, and if Nancy is here with Bess, then I am here too. How could you be so stupid?"

"Oh, hey, George. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Wait, let me put this on speaker phone," Joe said. For a second, there was silence. Then,

"Speaker phone, check. Ready to talk, check," Joe said. George and I rolled our eyes while Bess stifled a giggle.

"Okay, so we all know what's going on here, right?" Frank asked.

"Yes," we chorused.

"Good. So who's up for a mystery?" Frank asked cheerfully.

"Me," I said instantly. Bess sighed.

"Well, since Nancy's dad probably won't deny her the opportunity to solve a mystery and we can't let Nancy go by herself, more or less with you guys, I'm in," she said.

"Well, I don't want to be stuck here by myself and let you guys have all the fun, so me too," George said.

"Good. We're leaving today and will probably be there around 6-ish, I guess," Frank said.

"We could leave today too, but we probably won't see you guys until tomorrow," I said, biting my lip, a little upset.

"That's fine. Just call when you get there."

"Okay. Will do. I think we should go now if I need to tell my dad and probably pack a little differently."

"Yeah," Frank chuckled. "Sorry the notice is a bit late in the game."

"It's okay, but we should go now. Bye, Frank, Joe. See you later," I said.

"Bye," George and Bess said, slightly out of synch.

"Bye," Frank and Joe replied. I hung up and smiled.

"Well, there's that. Come on, George. If we're going to solve a mystery, we should probably check over our stuff and make sure we have the right gear for _this_ vacation," Bess said, heading out the door.

"You might, but I don't have to," George said, smirking. Bess rolled her eyes. As they left, I hurried over to my dad's study.

"Hey, sweetie. Do you need something?" he asked. I quickly explained our plan changes.

"But you don't have to change the plane tickets, since you already bought them. I just wanted to let you know that you can remove the reservations for our hotel and we can rent a car," I said quickly. My father nodded.

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know," he said.

"No problem. Thanks dad," I replied, kissing him on the cheek. I hurried over to my room to add a few things and take out the now unnecessary stuff.

Forty-five minutes later, I had just finished packing and realized I hadn't had breakfast and was really hungry. I hurried down the stairs, into the kitchen. Hannah Gruen, our housekeeper who had been with us since my mom died when I was three, was making sandwiches. My dad was sitting reading the newspaper.

"Hello, Nancy. I have hardly seen you all morning. Where have you been?" she asked, setting down a plate for me and my dad.

"Sorry, Hannah. I'm sure the breakfast was delicious. We had some changes applied to the trip and I had to reorganize," I apologized.

"It's all right," she said with a smile. "Just eat lunch for me." I nodded and sat down. I immediately dug in. As I was finishing my sandwich, my dad swallowed his bite, looked at me and said,

"We're going to leave at 4:30 tomorrow morning, so I want you to get to sleep extra early tonight, alright?"

"Sure thing, dad. But why are you telling me now?" I asked. He smiled.

"Time goes by fast, Nancy. And I thought you were going somewhere with your friends this afternoon," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. Oh my gosh! He was right. Bess had dragged me and George into shopping at two today, and I had forgotten. It was already almost one, and they were coming for me at 1:30.

"Yikes! You're right, dad. Thanks for reminding me. I better go get ready. Thanks for lunch, Hannah. It was amazing," I said, giving her a quick hug before I ran upstairs to change. Ten minutes later, I had gotten out of the shower. The doorbell rang. I quickly ran a brush through my hair and grabbed a pair of socks, pulling them on and slipping into sneakers. I brushed my teeth as fast and thoroughly as possible, then ran out of my room.

"Hey guys. Sorry, didn't mean to be late. Bye, dad," I kissed him on the cheek and then the three of us made our way to the car; Bess was smiling, George looked grumpy, and I was out of breath. Yippee, time to go.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

I got home around six. George and I were exhausted, having been forced to try on so many clothes and we had barely had a chance to sit. Bess was chipper. I ended up with a few things despite hating trying on clothes.

I walked through the door and into the living room, dropping my bags next to the couch and collapsing on it. I took a breath, smelling Hannah's famous tomato soup. I smiled, because that soup could be a remedy for almost anything. I grabbed my bags and walked upstairs.

When I got to my room, I emptied the bags on my bed, folded the clothes, and put them in their respective drawers. I sat on my bad for a while, resting my tired legs, until Hannah called me down for dinner.

"You hungry?" Hannah asked.

"You bet," I said, eyeing the soup. She laughed and set it down in front of me.

"I don't think you should wait for your father. He said he might be home later," she said, covering the soup on the stove.

"Okay," I said. I said a silent prayer and then dug in. It was a little warm, so I let it cool some. I ate it gratefully. I finished it quickly, and had a second, though with only half as much. My dad walked in then. He smiled at me and sat down.

"Hello, Nancy. Hannah. I see you made your fabulous soup," he smiled at her. We both knew this was his favorite meal of hers.

"Yes, I most certainly did, Carson," she replied, giving him a bowl. He started eating, just as I finished mine.

"Thanks, that was good," I said, putting my bowl in the sink and rinsing it clean.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it," she smiled at me; I always liked it. I went upstairs to my room. My clock read 6:50 p.m. I walked over to my bed and grabbed my phone. I had one text:

Ned:_ How are you? _

I replied: _Good. How are you?_

Ned:_ Fantastic :)_

Me:_ Found another mystery. Gtg early tomorrow morning :(_

Ned:_ Oh:/ Well, I hope you have fun. Be safe. Love you 3_

Me:_ Thanks. I will. I'll miss you Xoxo Love you too 3 _

I stared at Ned's name on the phone for a while. I hadn't seen him for a while. Despite how much I was going to miss him, I was also anxious to start this mystery (and, guiltily, see Frank too), so I brushed my teeth, let me hair down, and dressed in PJ's. I set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. and collapsed on my bed, falling asleep instantly.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzz

My alarm started buzzing and I sat up groggily. I fumbled to get out my bed and turn my alarm off. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. I was suddenly assaulted by the harsh bright light of the hallway and I squinted. Hannah walked in.

"Oh, you're awake. Your father wanted me to come get you. Hurry up, girl," she smiled at me. I smiled back, thanked her and shooed her out, grabbing my prepared change of clothes. I changed quickly and went downstairs for breakfast.

It was still dark outside. My father and I quickly ate our breakfast and then went off to do whatever we had to do before we left.

I went upstairs to my bathroom. I brushed my teeth and did everything else I needed to do before I left. I grabbed my bag, gave my room a onceover and then went downstairs. My dad was already waiting by the cab outside.

"Thanks for breakfast, Hannah. I'll miss you," I said, hugging her and kissing her cheek.

"I'll miss you too. Have fun and stay safe, Nancy," she said. I hurried out the door and let the driver take my bags and put them in the trunk. My father and I climbed in the back. We watched Hannah wave and smile until we couldn't see her anymore. Now, to pick up Bess and George.

When we got to their house, their parents were up, and George was racing around getting any last minute things.

"Come on, Georgia," Mrs. Fayne scolded George as she came down holding her bag. George frowned at her real name, Georgia. She hated it, which is why people called her George.

"Okay, mom. Sheesh, let me just grab one more thing," she said, disappearing around the corner and reappearing a few seconds later. Bess and I laughed. She was holding an electronic gadget.

"Let's go," she said. We all hurried out to the cab and Bess and George's luggage was loaded, and then we were on our way to the airport.

Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwww

The airport security took long enough, and we made it to our plane just as they were boarding. We got to our seats and got as comfortable as you can on a plane. Soon, we took off and were in the air.

Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwww

Bess woke me up.

"Come on, Nance, we're getting ready to land. You're going to want this," she said, and handed me a piece of gum. I unwrapped it and popped it in my mouth. She and George and my father were already chewing. It took ten minutes to land and another fifteen to get off. We went into the terminal, looked for our bags, grabbed them, and then went outside.

We got a taxi to the car rental place; in half an hour, we had our car.

"Golly, it's already eleven ten," George commented looking at her watch. Suddenly, I remembered Frank telling me to call him when we got here. I got myself in the car before pulling my phone out. I dialed Frank's number and waited.

"Hello?" Frank's voice came out more quiet than usual, and with a small hint of worry.

"Um, hey. I'm here. Well, in Spring Bay, but I'll be there soon, like an hour or two. Are you all right? You sound…..well, not too happy," I asked.

"No, not really. Joe's missing, and it's my fault," he said, sighing.

I gasped, and Bess and George turned to me, and my father looked at me in his rearview mirror, frowning.

"Frank, I am almost 100 percent sure it is not your fault. What happened?" I demanded.

"We got to our hotel after the plane ride and my dad went to go get us something to eat. Joe and I were talking when he freaked out because we heard someone come through the door, but I thought it was dad. He called my name, trying to warn me, but when I turned around I got clobbered real good. When I woke up, he was gone.

"And on top that, my dad got a video via email this morning. I'll wait until you get here, then you can see it."

"Frank, that's awful. We'll make him our first priority, I promise," I tried to reassure him.

"All right," he said with a sigh.

"Good, let's talk more about this when we get to your place, okay?"

"Sure," he said.

"OK. See ya. Bye."

"Bye."

"What's wrong?" Bess and George demanded as soon as I closed my phone. I sighed.

"Joe's missing."

_I know, Nancy wanting to invite the Hardy's is not a Nancy thing and is uncalled for, but I just had this all already planned out in my head so deal with it. Plus, wouldn't it make sense she wants to see Frank? Please R&R! _


End file.
